Use your business data to your advantage with the help of Syncfusion’s new data science offerings. Discover how a custom big data solution can provide your company with valuable predictions about key market trends.

SugarCRM Developer's Manual: Customize and extend SugarCRM

Learn the application and database architecture of this open-source CRM and develop and integrate your own modules and custom workflows

$16.50

$49.99

RRP $29.99

RRP $49.99

eBook

Print + eBook

Want this title & more?

$21.99 p/month

Subscribe to PacktLib

Enjoy full and instant access to over 2000 books and videos – you’ll find everything you need to stay ahead of the curve and make sure you can always get the job done.

Book Details

ISBN 139781847192066

Paperback296 pages

About This Book

Learn to customize SugarCRM code

Develop modules from scratch

Learn database and application architecture

Who This Book Is For

The book is for PHP developers working with SugarCRM, who want to extend its capabilities. Readers should have a basic knowledge of SugarCRM as the book does not cover installation and usage of SugarCRM. This can be gained from Implementing SugarCRM.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Stamping Your Own Brand on SugarCRM

Before We Start...

Customizing SugarCRM URL

Customizing SugarCRM Tabs

Customizing SugarCRM Themes

Summary

Chapter 2: Customizing the SugarCRM Application Content

A Note About Terminology

Changing the About Screen

Cont﻿rolling the Visible Tabs

Adding a Custom Tab

User-Controlled Dashlet Customization

Customizing Dashlets

Summary

Chapter 3: Introducing Custom Fields

Adding a Custom Field

Including Custom Fields in Mass Updates

Creating other Field Types

Summary

Chapter 4: Interfacing with SugarCRM

What Have we Learned so Far?

Overview of the SugarCRM Application Architecture

The SugarCRM User Interface

SugarB﻿﻿ean—The SugarCRM Data Interface

SugarBean in Action—SugarCRM's Logic Hooks

Summary

Chapter 5: SugarCRM Database Schematics

Database Schematic Diagrams

Differences Betwe﻿﻿en Versions 4.5.0 and 4.5.1

Summary

Chapter 6: SugarCRM Data Dictionary

Differences between Versions 4.5.0 and 4.5.1

SugarCRM Table Definitions

Summary

Chapter 7: Development and Testing Strategies for SugarCRM

Why Use Development and Testing Strategies?

The Unbreakable Rule:Thou Shalt Not Do Any Development on a Live Server

Setting up a Development Server

An Example Upgrade

Testing SugarCRM

Releasing Your Customizations

Summary

Chapter 8: Developing Your Own Modules

Adding Third-party Modules

Creating Custom Modules

Advanced Modules

Summary

Chapter 9: Developing a Custom Workflow within SugarCRM

A Very Simple Workflow

Moving the Rules into the Database

Para﻿﻿﻿﻿llel Tasks

Summary

Chapter 10: Customizing and Optimizing SugarCRM—Tips and Tricks

Delving into SugarCRM Variables

Developing Dashlets Further

Speeding up SugarCRM

Creating﻿ Reports

Summary

What You Will Learn

Customize your SugarCRM application

Add your own components in the form of module tabs and dashlets

Modify the look and feel of SugarCRM

Add new fields to SugarCRM

Develop, test, and use SugarCRM in a safe environment

Incorporate third-party modules into your site

Develop your own modules from scratch

Develop a custom workflow within SugarCRM

Optimize the performance of SugarCRM implementations

Chapter 1 is a smooth introduction to customizing Sugar CRM.

In Chapter 2, you will start to customize the SugarCRM application itself, and you will be able to add your own components in the form of module tabs and dashlets.

In Chapter 3, you will learn how to modify the look and feel of SugarCRM. This chapter also shows how to add new fields to SugarCRM.

Chapter 4 looks at the interfaces, and how to use them effectively in your customizations.

Chapter 5 includes database schematic diagrams, showing the relationships between each table in the database and the other tables.

Chapter 6 covers complete database schematics for the SugarCRM application, providing full details on each table.

In Chapter 7, you will learn how to develop, test, and use SugarCRM in a safe environment using a development server, a test server, and a live server.

In Chapter 8, you will learn to incorporate third-party modules into your site and develop your own modules from scratch.

Chapter 9 deals with developing a custom workflow within SugarCRM.

In Chapter 10, you will see various techniques for optimizing the performance of a SugarCRM implementation, and a few more ways of extending the application.

In Detail

SugarCRM is the world's leading commercial open-source customer relationship management (CRM) software for companies of all sizes. SugarCRM easily adapts to any business environment by offering a more flexible, cost-effective alternative to proprietary applications. SugarCRM's open-source architecture allows companies to more easily customize and integrate customer-facing business processes in order to build and maintain more profitable relationships. SugarCRM offers several deployment options, including on-demand, on-premise and appliance-based solutions to suit customers' security, integration, and configuration needs.

This book will help you to customize the SugarCRM code. You will get learn about the database and application architecture. The book provides you with a module development tutorial, showing the essential steps for hooking your module into the SugarCRM infrastructure. You will learn about common customizations that can be performed against the codebase.

Authors

Dr Mark Alexander Bain

Dr. Mark Alexander Bain first started customizing CRM systems back in the mid '90s when he was team leader for Vodafone's Cascade project – the team took the 'out-of-the-box' Clarify CRM and turned it into a radio base station planning application, complete with a workflow engine for passing jobs between the different departments involved in the planning, building, and implementation of a radio network. Since then he's lectured at the University of Central Lancashire, and currently Mark writes articles on all things Linux and Open Source for Linux Format, Newsforge.com and Linux Journal. SugarCRM customization, therefore, seems the obvious choice for this, his second book, since it combines Mark's knowledge of working with commercial CRMs and the Open Source philosophy. Mark works from his home on the edge of the Lake District in the UK, where he lives with his wife, two dogs and two cats, and gets the odd visit from his sons – Michael and Simon.

Alerts & Offers

Series & Level

We understand your time is important. Uniquely amongst the major publishers, we seek to develop and publish the broadest range of learning and information products on each technology. Every Packt product delivers a specific learning pathway, broadly defined by the Series type. This structured approach enables you to select the pathway which best suits your knowledge level, learning style and task objectives.

Learning

As a new user, these step-by-step tutorial guides will give you all the practical skills necessary to become competent and efficient.

Beginner's Guide

Friendly, informal tutorials that provide a practical introduction using examples, activities, and challenges.

Essentials

Fast paced, concentrated introductions showing the quickest way to put the tool to work in the real world.

Cookbook

A collection of practical self-contained recipes that all users of the technology will find useful for building more powerful and reliable systems.

Blueprints

Guides you through the most common types of project you'll encounter, giving you end-to-end guidance on how to build your specific solution quickly and reliably.

Mastering

Take your skills to the next level with advanced tutorials that will give you confidence to master the tool's most powerful features.

Starting

Accessible to readers adopting the topic, these titles get you into the tool or technology so that you can become an effective user.

Progressing

Building on core skills you already have, these titles share solutions and expertise so you become a highly productive power user.